1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to headlamps and, more particularly, to a headlamp system and method comprising a headlamp support having a dampener or dampening element that reduces unwanted motion of the headlamp support in at least one or a plurality of axes or directions.
2. Description of the Related Art
Headlight assemblies are becoming increasingly sophisticated with light sources, light guides, optics, lenses, cameras and the like being contained in one assembly. It is not uncommon that a lamp-support housing or support frame was used to support, for example, the lamps or light sources in the headlamp assembly. Unfortunately, the increased complexity and components has increased the overall mass of some headlamp assemblies and lamp support housing, sometimes in excess of 2 kilograms.
During normal vehicle operation it is not uncommon that dynamic loads cause stresses on the headlamp assembly and lamp support housing, such as when the vehicle hits a pothole or bump in the road. These stresses can cause considerable loads and vibration to occur to the lamp housing and can cause failures in the lamp housing at the various points where the housing is fixed to the vehicle. The increased mass in turn has caused failures in the components within the headlamp assembly, such as in brackets or fasteners used to support the light source housing on the headlamp assembly.
Another related problem is that the light sources and/or housing that supports the light sources typically must be adjusted, moved, tilted or rotated in a plane or along an axis that is in or generally parallel to an X-axis of the headlamp support housing. Consequently, it is not desirable to simply modify the lamp support housing to include, for example, more static or unadjustable points of fixation because that would interfere with the ability to adjust a position of the lamp support.
What is needed, therefore, is a system and method that overcomes one or more of the problems mentioned.